Stilbenes, such as resveratrol and pterostilbene, are a subset of naturally occurring phenolic compounds known to have diverse pharmacological activities including cancer chemopreventive activity. See, Jang et al., Science, 275(5297), 218-220 (1997), Rimando et al., J. Agric. Food Chem., 50(12), 3453-3457 (2002), Aggarwal et al., Biochem. Pharmacol., 71(10), 1397-1421 (2006) and Baur et al., Nat. Rev. Drug Discov., 5(6), 493-506 (2006). Stilbenes have been found in some berries (e.g., blueberries, cranberries, sparkleberries, lingonberries, grapes). See, Rimando et al., J. Agric. Food Chem., 50(15), 4713-4719 (2004). Thus consumption of these small fruits may help improve health. Dietary black raspberries significantly suppressed the N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA)-induced rat esophageal carcinogenesis. Chen et al., Cancer Res., 66(5), 2853-2859 (2006).
The discovery of resveratrol as a cancer preventive agent has fostered interest in testing for the cancer preventive activity of other naturally occurring stilbenes in many laboratories. Notably pterostilbene, a dimethylether analog of resveratrol, was found to be as effective as resveratrol in preventing carcinogen-induced preneoplastic lesions in a mouse mammary organ culture (MMOC) model. Rimando et al., J. Agric. Food Chem., 50(12), 3453-3457 (2002). Additionally, intravenous administration of pterostilbene to mice inhibited metastatic growth of B16M-F10 melanoma cells in the liver, a common site for metastasis development. Ferrer et al., Neoplasia, 7(1), 37-47 (2005).
Pterostilbene and resveratrol have very similar pharmacological properties. See, Rimando et al., J. Agric. Food Chem., 50(12), 3453-3457 (2002) and Stivala et al., J. Biol. Chem., 276(25), 22586-22594 (2001). In addition to the aforementioned activity in an MMOC model, both compounds are strong antioxidants and also hypolipidemic. See, Rimando et al., J. Agric. Food Chem., 50(12), 3453-3457 (2002), Stivala et al., J. Biol. Chem., 276(25), 22586-22594 (2001), Rimando et al., J. Agric. Food Chem., 53(9), 3403-3407 (2005) and Miura et al., Life Sci., 73(11), 1393-1400 (2003).
Pterostilbene is used as a chemical marker for extracts of Pterocarpus marsupium, from which it has been previously isolated and shown to lower serum glucose in rats. Manickam et al., J. Nat. Prod., 60(6), 609-610 (1997). Resveratrol has been reported to reduce the growth of colorectal aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in rats. See, Tessitore et al., Carcinogenesis, 21(8), 1619-1622 (2000) and Sengottuvelan et al., Carcinogenesis, 27(5), 1308-1346 (2006). However, additional studies concerning the colon cancer preventive and treatment activities of stilbene compounds are needed.